According to Fight Ticker, Strikeforce drew 364,000 viewers for their first Showtime show on Saturday night:  

Avg. viewers: 364,000
Avg. rating: 0.64

Males 18-34 viewers: 100,000
Males 18-34 rating: 1.53

Males 18-49 viewers: 168,000
Males 18-49 rating: 1.28

These are pretty good numbers.  There are a number of meaningful comparisons to make here.  Below I list past Showtime MMA programs and thier viewership numbers, courtesy of Dave Meltzer at Figure Four Online and MMA Payout:

Kimbo Slice vs. Tank Abbott: 511,000 viewers

Frank Shamrock vs. Phil Baroni: 365,000 viewers

EliteXC Return of the King: 350,000 viewers

Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le: less than 300,000.

Overall the recent show appears to have done the third highest MMA rating in Showtime history.  The number isn't some kind of stunning success, but it is very good.  They didn't have a pre-fight special, but still drew a nice audience.

I don't want to belabor the Cyborg weight issue, but the excuse about her period is one we've heard before when a female missed weight.  It's a convenient excuse because most of the fans in this sport are men, and when we hear it we immediately back off for obvious reasons.

Is it legitimate?  Honestly, I have no idea.  There are two ways to look at this.  If it's illegitimate, she is doing a great disservice to other women in the sport that deal with this every fight but still find a way to make weight just fine.  If it's legitimate, then perhaps we need to reconsider weight cutting for women.

There are a number of ways to solve the weight cutting problem.  One of the most obvious ways would be to make fighters weigh in right before their fight.  You could also institute a capping rule preventing them from weighing more than 2 pounds above their weigh-in weight.  Finally, you could make the financial punishment for missing weight serious.  20% is nothing considering most of the money comes from sponsors anyway, fighters that miss weight should be docked 80% of their pay (men and women both).  It's that important.  If someone is making 20k from fighting, and 40k from sponsors, taking away $4,000 isn't anywhere near enough of a deterrent.

The most annoying part of this ordeal is it invited the idiots out of the woodwork to claim this proves female MMA shouldn't exist.  Oddly nobody questioned whether men's MMA should cease to exist when Nick Diaz missed weight by 9 pounds.  This is why it is so critical for Gina and Cyborg to put this behind them, there are already people looking for reasons to hate female fighting, and missing weight just provides them the weapon they were looking for.

Today on "MMA Nation" we'll be joined by Kenny Florian as he begins his preparation for his UFC lightweight title fight with current champion BJ Penn at UFC 101. We'll talk training with GSP, what's new with MMA Live and how he'd stack up against Shinya Aoki.

Topics of discussion:

Lots of Strikeforce talk. How obscene was the Cyborg vs. Akano fight? What's next for Brett Rogers? Does Frank Shamrock have a future? How would you evaluate the commentating team? 

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 WJFK. HOWEVER: the show airs TODAY AT 8 PM EST. To listen live over the Internet, go to WJFK's website and click "Listen Live".

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Number to call: 800-636-1067

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Talk to you then.

UPDATE: BloodyElbow.com Staff Writer Michael Rome was on hand in San Jose, CA for the Strikeforce event last night at the HP Pavilion. He'll be calling in at the top of the show to talk the event.

I've been thinking about why I misjudged the Shamrock vs. Diaz bout and I'll get to that, but first let's establish some context:

At just 25 years old, Nick Diaz has been a pro for seven years. He has battled bigger opponents regularly and won fans even in defeat. But there was no question who the better fighter was Saturday, with Frank Shamrock getting a potent dose of Diaz at his best in the main event of Strikeforce’s Showtime-televised card at the HP Pavilion.

Diaz outlanded Shamrock 129 to 42, cleverly working his range while peppering his foe with a mix of stiff punches and the occasional kick mixed in.

"That’s just how I fight," Diaz said at the post-fight news conference. "He’s got a shorter reach than me. I was just trying to get him to throw the right hand (and counter), then get in his face. The key was to get out there. I felt good."

...

Often misunderstood given his penchant for straight talk and sometimes-abrasive moods, Diaz still feels he’s on a mission to help illustrate what mixed martial arts should be. With Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker saying that fighters from Japan’s Dream organization could be brought in for cross-promotional bouts, the Stockton-based battler said he likes the Japanese rules that encourage a more sportive feel.

"It’s a more technical fight," Diaz said of the rules in Japan, which give yellow cards for inactivity and prohibit elbows to the head on the ground. "It’s more my game. (In America) if the guy is holding on, you have to either figure out what to do or hold on tighter to win. Plus I like the ring aspect. It helps the technical aspects of a standup fighter."

A couple of issues struck me in listening to Diaz talk post-fight (when he's sober and openly communicative). First, I admit to forgetting what a healthy respect for technique Diaz keeps. Even if you disagree with some judgment calls he makes in the name of improving or testing his technique, Diaz revels in the idea that the more technical fighter can overcome physically daunting obstacles. That his size has naturally kept expanding with his skill set only makes his more physically daunting. As for his toughness, I get the sense he recognizes it's helpful and he tends to lean on it a little too much for my comfort, but I also contend he prides himself more for what talents he's developed than his natural gift of tolerating punishment to lift him through violent battles.

Second, it turns out Diaz ran a triathalon just weeks out of the fight. Such a draining experience can and did force Diaz to physically reset after the event somewhat disrupted his progress in camp. Clearly getting in shape to even run a triathalon is probably beneficial, but I wonder if the inconsistent performances from Diaz over the last couple of years (poor performances, mind you, that seemed to involved Diaz's physical ability on fight day as well as now two weigh-in issues) are the result of Diaz's inability to properly regulate what appears to be substantially demanding athletic hobbies during fight camp. There's no doubt physical issues aside, he was far too skilled for Shamrock on the ground and the effective use of range helped him win, but I'm curious to know if despite Diaz's considerable MMA experience he hasn't been able to refine his peaking during training given his many hobbies and responsibilties.

When Diaz is firing on all cylinders (as he seemed to be last night), one gets a fresh reminder of what a physically intimidating, clever, experienced and talented competitor he can be. Set up the rematch with Lawler already.

Photo by AP.

via Esther Lin at Fightlinker

And here's Tito talking at the post-event press conference:

Dave Meltzer thinks so:

It might have been the final curtain for one of MMA’s all-time greats. Shamrock, whose ability to sell fights is a big reason Strikeforce can be the long term No. 2 MMA promotion in North America behind UFC, couldn’t hang with Diaz in the show’s main event, likely making him the last of the original pioneers of the sport to fall from major event headliner status.
...

It was both a happy and sad night for promoter Scott Coker, who called the event a grand slam success, but sensed the guy who paved the way for all this to happen may have fought his last big-time fight.

“It’s sad because Frank is my friend and he and his wife are my social friends,” said Coker, whose initial success in promoting MMA came March 10, 2006, when Shamrock knocked out Cesar Gracie at the HP Pavilion before a sellout of 18,265 fans.
...

One of the most unhappy spectators during the match was Tito Ortiz, the loser of Shamrock’s most legendary match, a UFC middleweight championship match ten years ago. Ortiz was hoping to avenge that loss in a ten-year anniversary of the match later this year.

“I felt like I was watching money disappear,” said Ortiz, who has not signed with Strikeforce.

Shamrock vs Ortiz wasn't the only big money rematch to lose its luster with Shamrock's TKO loss. Coker and Strikeforce will now need to find a money opponent for Cung Le's return. I wonder if Robbie Lawler will be that man.

Oh well, there's always brother Ken Shamrock out there somewhere, desperately looking for a payday.

Fightlinker chimes in too:

There’s still plenty of entertaining fights out the for him to take. Frank Trigg seemed like he was angling for a fight with Shamrock last week. Royce Gracie was hanging out at the Strikeforce press conference too. And I expect Tito Ortiz to do poorly enough that a rematch can still happen. Last but not least if Frank keeps losing he might eventually get to the point where a Ken Shamrock fight is competitive again! Hah, just kidding. One would hope Frank would retire before then.

At this point it’s time to lay to rest the idea that Frank is still able to keep up with the next generation. If he’s still got it, he hasn’t shown it in his last two fights. I used to think he dicked around and lost the Cung Le fight on purpose but after seeing him struggle with Nick, I’ve had to re-evaluate that assumption. There’s still a few great fights in Frank Shamrock, for sure. But his days as a champion are done now.

I must say the possibility of a Frank vs Frank match between Shamrock and Trigg is intriguing and could position the winner for a run at Cung Le and Robbie Lawler at the top of the division. Or even Jake Shield at the top of the welterweight division. Frank Shamrock at 170? Maybe. That would be a good weight for an utterly pointless but money fight with Royce Gracie.

I attended Strikeforce live tonight as well as the post-fight press conference, and I came away extremely optimistic about this promotion's future.  Over 15,000 fans ($750k gate) packed the arena, and were enthusiastic for everything.  None of the fights were super meaningful in the rankings context, but the show was a ton of fun, and Scott Smith's emotional win made it a special night.

Assorted notes:

--Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum talked up a fight at the presser, and while it is not confirmed we could see those two fight each other as soon as June.  Werdum promised to take another arm with him.

--Tito Ortiz made it very clear he wants to fight for Strikeforce.  He is waiting for the UFC's first right of refusal to expire (which it does in May), and then he would ideally return in the fall.  He has just started weight training again, and trash talked Babalu a bit.  He admitted he was depressed Frank lost because it was "money out the window."

--The Gina Carano deal is almost done, and Coker wants to main event their August show with Carano v. Cyborg for a Strikeforce women's title.  No word on the weight.

--Scott Coker is open to bringing in Affliction fighters, and as of now there is no formal relationship with WAMMA.

--Strikeforce signed Kevin Randleman, who will be back in action soon.  He also had the quote of the night:

I love my job, it's the best job in the world...I live in the best country in the world: America...and I live in the best world in the universe: Earth.

--Finally, back to Scott Smith.  Many fighters including Smith have had serious financial problems without being able to work since Elite went down, and for him to come back and win like this tonight was really a great moment.  His kids getting in the cage was great too.

This will be the thread for the main card later tonight, and Brent will be doing the results.  I'll be live in the arena, and will post if anything of significance occurs during the main card.

Coverage will begin at 7:00 pm PST.

Brent Brookhouse taking over here.  The main card is about to start.

Gus Johnson talking about Strikeforce's big main events of the past and I have to say, on standard def this picture looks really crisp.

Gina is shown as Mauro says she may be the most popular fighter in the sport male or female.  Tito is shown and booed.  Nice reaction for Arlovski.  Alistair Overeem is shown to no reaction.  A few other fighters are shown finishing up with Cung Le who gets a really good reaction.  Pat Miletich is shown in the booth now so there's your broadcast team.

The place is packed according to Mike Rome who is in the arena and there was a 10 bell salute for Mask.

As a reminder in Strikeforce there are no elbows on the ground.

Brett Rogers vs. Abongo Humphries - Round 1 -Humphries is way small for a heavyweight at 5'11".  Humphries is spinning and kicking but they were fairly pointless.  High kick from Humphries is blocked.  Left hook from Rogers is answered by a low kick.  Clinch by Humphries now and Rivers with great takedown defense for a man his size keeping balance on one leg.  Solid combo from Rogers looks like it hurt Humphries but Abongo with a body shot in return.  Three punch combo now by Brett capped off with a right hand to the jaw.  Flurry of uppercuts from Rogers.  Low kick trips Rogers and he stands right back up.  Huge knee to the chin from Rogers but Humphries is fine. Right hand by Rogers and Humphries' legs are wobbly.  Two knees to the head and Rogers is warned for grabbing the hair.  Another warning for grabbing seconds later.  Bretr is so big compared to Abongo.  Right hand lands flush and now Rogers is having a point taken away for grabbing the hair.  I'm sorry but dreads shouldn't be allowed in the cage when you're holding the head you are holding on and it can happen naturally.  Uppercuts from Rogers to end the round.  9-9 on my card due to the taking of a point.  Round 2 - Humphries spins after feinting with a low kick and now Rogers charges in.  Single leg attempt by Humphries but Rogers defends well.  Solid punches landing for Brett now.  Flurry of huge shots from Rogers and Humphries is showing a GREAT chin.  Two HUGE knees right to the chin now and Humphries is just taking it.  Finally Rogers pours it on and Humphries finally collapses and the fight is over.  Brett Rogers wins by TKO, round 2.

Christiane "Cyborg" Santos vs. Hitomi Akano - Huge reception for Gina as she is shown at ringside and Gus says her and Cyborg would be one of the biggest fights of the year. Round 1 - Cyborg is all over her with huge punches.  Akano survives going for a takedown but suffers a German suplex by Santos.  Akano goes for an armbar but can't finish but does get full guard.  Cyborg with the ground and pound now.  Cyborg stands up and drops bombs and then makes Akano stand back up.  Takedown by Cyborg after some more punches and they stand back up.  Low kick and then a left hook from Cyborg and the round ends.  10-8 Cyborg on my card.  Round 2 - Akano is trying to get a takedown but she isn't stron enough and it involves eating a lot of shots.  Akano is exhausted and can't finish a double leg.  NOt much to call here except Cyborg doing whatever the hell she wants.  Flying armbar attempt by Akano but she just ends up getting guard. Akano is going for a high guard but she is just not able to deal with Santos' strength.  Now it's Cyborg landing big shots against the cage.  The round ends and it's commendable that Akano is still in there but she is exhausted.  10-9 Cyborg.  Round 3 - Cyborg with big shots after a failed leg lock attempt.  Now Akano is hurt.  Cyborg drops her and it's all over.  Christiane "Cyborg" Santos wins by TKO, round 3.  After the fight Cyborg says she missed weight because of a "girl problem" and Gus Johnson accepts the apology for all the fans...whatever.

Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach - Round 1 - Stiff jabs from Radach and now an overhand right.  Smith charges with a kick to the body.  Smith is looking for a single right hand or high kick while Radach looks more versatile.  Low kick from Smith now.  Right hand from Radach counters a low kick from Smith. Right hand from Smith.  Smith is bleeding from the mouth.  Left hook, right hand land for Radach.  Smith hurts Benji. and Radach fires back and drops Smith.  Now Smith is covering against the cage.  Right hand by Radach.  Left hook now and Smith's legs are ready to go.  Radach shoots and gets a double leg.  Working punches to the body now.  Huge right hand ground and pound from Radach and the round ends.  10-9 Radach, it was even and the takedown/GNP stole it.  Round 2 -  Tito shown to huge boos between rounds.  Radach looks for a takedown early but can't finish.  They clinch against the cage with no action and separate.  Jabs from Radach are landing solid.  Right hand from Smith glances off Radach's cheek.  Right hand counter by Smith.  Radach remains more dynamic with his hands.  Huge right and Smith is hurt.  He's dropped by a follow up right.  Now Radach with a guillotine but he can't finish.  Smith is bleeding badly.  Smith has huge heart but he is getting beat up this fight.  They separate from the clinch now.  Left hook from Radach and he isn't forcing anything to happen. The crowd keeps booing whenever they slow down but this is an action fight.  10-9 Radach, he could have finished striking...the guillotine attempt was dumb.  Round 3  - Right hand from Smith so Radach shoots for a double and Smith goes for a guillotine and is slammed by Radach.  Mauro calls it a "slamma jamma"  Milletich is by far the best guy in the booth tonight.  Radach is bleeding from the eye.  They're stood back up now.  Smith is swinging for the fences.Right hand lands.  Jab hurts Radach.  Smith gets buzzed by a right hand and backs off for a few moments.  Right hand from Smith and Radach goes down.  It's over!  Oh my!  Scott Smith wins by KO, round 3.  Wow, Smith has so much heart and he's just NEVER out of it.

OFFICIAL ATTENDANCE 14,409

Gilbert Melendez vs. Rodrigo Damm - Round 1 - Damm circling to the left (into Gilbert's power) and gets caught with a right hand.  To the ground they go with Melendez on top.  Damm working for an omoplata but can't lock it.  Melendez with a night right hand.  Damm is trying to work off his back but Gilbert passes to half with some big punches.  It's been a lot more of the same with Melendez landing big punches from on top.  Now shots to the ribs of Damm.  Damm had a chance to lock up a triangle as the round ends but the buzzer sounds.  10-9 Melendez Round 2 - Takedown from Melendez is stopped.  Right hand from Gil and then another stuffed shot.  Damm looks tired and there is a long way to go.  Melendez with some nice punches standing.  Right hand drops Damm and he is out.  Melendez with a few more punches and it's over.  Gilbert Melendez wins by KO, round 2.

Revised official attendance: 15, 211

Nick Diaz vs. Frank Shamrock - Round 1 - Low kick from Diaz.  Frank is jabbing.  Diaz catches a kick and puts Shamrock down.  Pass to side control and Diaz goes for a keylock and Shamrock stands right back up.  Frank is working in and out but the length of Diaz is giving him some trouble.  Body kick by Shamrock.  Jab lands for Diaz.  He sticks his chin out and Frank lands a right hand to it.  Low kick by Diaz.  Shamrock with a body kick again and gets taken down.  Diaz into side control.  Pass to full mount.  Diaz is throwing but isn't getting caught with anything meaningful.  10-9 Diaz.  Round 2 - Right hand from Diaz and Frank can't figure out the reach of Diaz.  Diaz is talking and talking which Mauro says makes him tremendous for the sport.  Flurry of punches lands for Diaz now.  Diaz is walking him down with punches and it honestly looks like Frank has no answer.  Right hand lands for Shamrock now.  Diaz is just landing whatever he wants at this point flurrying with Frank's back to the cage.  Punches and elbows landing for Diaz.  Shamrock drops and is eating shots now and the fight is over.  Nick Diaz wins by TKO, round 2.

I will be live in San Jose to cover the undercard and anything else going on in the arena.  When the main show starts, I will hand the baton off to Brent Brookhouse, who will do live coverage from that point on.

Undercard coverage begins at approximately 5:00pm PST.  The coverage for the main card will be in a separate post above this one.

I'm now in the arena, the prelims supposedly start in 20 minutes or so.  Cung Le is here with a smoking blonde, Royce Gracie is doing autographs, and I see a chair reserved for Mickey Rourke.  There's a huge amount of people lined up, the arena should be packed by the time the live broadcast starts.

Continue reading this post »

Dave Meltzer reports at Figure Four Online:

The fight between Cris Cyborg and Hitomi Akano scheduled for tomorrow's Strikeforce show is up in the air…

However, Akano's side refused to accept the fight, because Cyborg's weight being more than 145 pounds violated the contract.  Akano, by weighing in under 145 (at 143.5) had fulfilled her end and thus would be getting her contracted money whether she fought or not.  However, there is still ongoing discussion to rectify the situation and come to an agreement with Akano's side.  The fight was thought to be dead at 8:30 p.m., but negotiations have continued and nothing is yet final.

I honestly have a hard time believing this fight won't happen.  I think they'll just have to pay Akano more to take it.  It would be a shame to lose this fight too, but who could blame Akano for not wanting to fight someone so much bigger than her.

Update:  Greg Savage reports the fight is off at Sherdog:

Strikeforce officials and the two fighters’ camps negotiated to try and keep the bout in play on Friday night, but to no avail.

Akano’s manager, Shu Hirata, told Sherdog.com that the promotion offered to pay Akano her win bonus regardless of the fight’s outcome, along with two more bouts guaranteed on her contract.

Hirata said Akano’s decision was about more than the money though.

"Gina [Carano] never makes weight, but they make everybody fight. It's not fair," said Hirata. "I think it’s really about time that we have to set the precedent that you should really make the weight."

This is a shocking and disappointing turn of events.  Many fans were excited to see Cyborg fight, and from the promotional side this fight was intended to build to a return for Gina Carano.

I completely understand the principle behind the decision, but I question her management.  This was always going to be a tough fight for Akano, everyone knew it was a setup for her to get knocked out.  To turn down that money and probably guarantee she is never asked back to Strikeforce just to stand up for a principle is a big sacrifice.  Or is it?  The fact that they sat there negotiating for hours over money suggests to me that they wanted more and Strikeforce wouldn't pay it.

I don't know what Akano's pay or bonus schedule is, but if she's on some kind of 5/5 contract then the offer wasn't really that much.  I suppose we'll find out more in the days to come.

Update 2 from Brent Brookhouse:

The fight is back on:

A featured women’s bout between Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and Hitomi Akano is now back on the line-up at Strikeforce "Shamrock vs. Diaz" this Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

....

"I don’t really want to say what the deal is but I think that, let’s put it this way [her] gym will have a much better relationship with Strikeforce than just one fighter," said Coker.

"All I can say is that Strikeforce and Mr. Coker offered her something very reasonable and we appreciate his effort as well," said Hirata at the conclusion of negotiations at 2 a.m. PST. "Of course as a fighter she always wants to fight but she wanted to get the right conditions to make that happen, that’s all."

"We felt that maybe fans and [the] public should know what really happened, and by her fighting it relayed more of a message to the public and also gives her credit for having the heart of a warrior, because she will step in even though it is a big disadvantage now," stated Akano’s manager. "I asked Mr. Coker to do that and he promised it will be addressed on the broadcast and I think it’s important to tell the story behind it."